How to soften a latex mattress to improve shoulder pressure relief

[Catherine]

Tessie wrote:
Catherine,

...Have you ever seen an illustration of a 7 zone latex mattress? Saw this online a month after my mattress purchase and thought that this design might work best for many women:

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I have seen the 7-zone mattresses, and I think 7 zones is overkill. Plus, I made myself nuts experimenting with different combinations of foam for just 2 zones; trying any more zones would do me in.
I might try different foam in the shoulder-cutout area when I get some time. That might be a good spot for some memory foam.
Sorry your Overstock fiber bed didn't work out.
-Catherine

 

[Tessie]

Yeah, I agree. I could never do zoning myself... but this is a mattress or a 3" topper that is already zoned. More cushy for upper body/shoulder region a lttle less in the hip area, more support in the lumbar area. Thought it looked like it would suit me, maybe not my husband though.
Tessie

 

[jkozlow3]

I know this is an old thread, so I apologize for reviving it, but I believe many people are making the mistake of trying to fix their "too firm" latex mattresses by adding tons of soft stuff on top when in many cases, the core is simply too firm and that's what you should be targeting.

Tessie, a 32 ILD + 38 ILD core would be WAY too firm for me as a side sleeper and I'm 5'11, 150lbs (25 lbs heavier than you).
Toto, I don't believe you stated your weight, but 6" of 32 ILD is too firm for a lot of people who don't weigh at least 170-180 lbs. The host of the other major mattress forum is 195lbs and sleeps on 3" of 22 ILD over 4" of 28 ILD over 3" of 22 ILD (plus some soft foam in the quilting of both sides of his 2-sided/flippable mattress).

I've been building a DIY mattress for the past few months and I currently have the following set up in a 12" zippered 4-way stretch knit cotton cover (similar to the Pure Latex Bliss covers):

2" 15 ILD Celsion
2" 19 ILD
2" 24 ILD
3" 28 ILD
3" 28 ILD
plus...
3" 19 ILD topper (Rejuvenite branded) on the very bottom between the 12" zippered mattress and the slatted bed base. This COMPLETELY changes the feel of bed for the better (makes it even softer) in my opinion. I got this idea from the Pure Latex Bliss 4" LatexBase that they use with the World's Best Bed. Essentially, it's a similar design to having a 2-sided/flippable mattress with soft foam on the bottom beneath the firmer core. I've come to the conclusion that this makes a world of difference and that I cannot sleep comfortably on any other latex set up which omits this layer.
So 15 total inches of latex.

As a 150lb side sleeper, this feels about right (I've only been back on this combo for about a week afyer trying some other configurations listed below). My wife is closer to 100lbs and our current set up is *almost* too firm for her as a side sleeper (but it's tolerable).

All of our cores are split, and I have also tried the following combos for my side of the 6" base/core:

6" of 32 ILD (the firmest I would EVER want to go and I think this would be too firm in the long run - I only slept on this combo for 1-2 nights)
3" 32 ILD + 3" 36 ILD (much too firm - I tried this out initially before any other combo and immediately went softer after the first night)
3" 28 ILD + 3" of 32 ILD (this one is tolerable but I still prefer 6" of 28 ILD)

In short, even swapping one of the 3" base layers from a 28 ILD to a 32 ILD makes a VERY NOTICEABLE difference to me. I just think that adding more and more soft stuff to the top isn't always the best solution. My advice is to get the core/base right first and possibly consider a soft piece on the BOTTOM instead (counter-intuitive I know).

Additionally, I have been experimenting with pillows throughout my DIY mattress journey and I found that 1 lofty pillow caused immense shoulder pain with the softer set up I'm using now (6" of 28 ILD for the core). The reason is, this setup was soft enough that as a side-sleeper, it allowed my entire upper body to collapse onto my arm (just below my shoulder actually). I was completely cutting off circulation and my arm would feel sore all day. This went on for about a week. Then I added a second pillow (in an angled configuration) and this lifted my upper body off of the mattress a bit and the pain completely went away. So with the softer core, I need 2 pillows. I can get away with 1 pillow if I make the core firmer (my upper body no longer collapses onto my arm), but then the mattress feels too firm overall.

Hope this helps! (although it's a bit late I'm sure)

 

[s223344]

Blast from the past! Good info here.

 

[Toto]

Thanks for all your comments.
My stats: male 5ft 10". 175lbs. Side sleeper. This is an update to share my current configuration and results (from top to bottom):

2" talalay 21 ILD
2" talalay zoned: 21 ILD in the shoulder area... 28 ILD below that (torso, hip, leg, feet area). I made this zoned layer by cutting latex that I had purchased
6" talalay core 32 ILD

I am sleeping better than I have had in many years. This mattress is an improvement over anything I have had before. However, I still experience some (but not much) shoulder pain (the upper, outside, part of the arm), which I attibute to pressure points. The hip support is on the edge of being sufficient. There is no lumbar pain in the morning, but in a perfect world, I would prefer a bit more support at the hips.

In earlier comments, Sandman described his configuration, which has 5" of soft material at the shoulder level (1" mem foam + 1" 24 ILD + 1" 19ILD + roughly 2" 17/19 ILD in the zoned layer) and higher average ILD (than mine) at the hip level (you can see Sandman's configuration and his comments earlier in this thread). Whenever I am ready to experiment again, I will attempt to get a bit closer to his configuration to get more pressure point relief in the shoulder zone, and a bit more support in the hip zone. Another potential path is to make the zoned layer 3" and increase the ILD of the core. Not sure yet. Fortunately, my current configuration is good enough that I can take my time to think the next move.

I am really impressed at the way people help each other in these forums. Some members have a lot knowledge and experience, and devote a lot of time to helping others. Sandman gave me very valuable advice. As did the host of the other forum. I want to thank them. They have made a difference in the quality of my sleep.

 

[mattdud]

Toto wrote:
Thanks for all your comments.

My stats: male 5ft 10". 175lbs. Side sleeper. This is an update to share my current configuration and results (from top to bottom):

2" talalay 21 ILD
2" talalay zoned: 21 ILD in the shoulder area... 28 ILD below that (torso, hip, leg, feet area). I made this zoned layer by cutting latex that I had purchased
6" talalay core 32 ILD

I am sleeping better than I have had in many years. This mattress is an improvement over anything I have had before. However, I still experience some (but not much) shoulder pain (the upper, outside, part of the arm), which I attibute to pressure points. The hip support is on the edge of being sufficient. There is no lumbar pain in the morning, but in a perfect world, I would prefer a bit more support at the hips.

In earlier comments, Sandman described his configuration, which has 5" of soft material at the shoulder level (1" mem foam + 1" 24 ILD + 1" 19ILD + roughly 2" 17/19 ILD in the zoned layer) and higher average ILD (than mine) at the hip level (you can see Sandman's configuration and his comments earlier in this thread). Whenever I am ready to experiment again, I will attempt to get a bit closer to his configuration to get more pressure point relief in the shoulder zone, and a bit more support in the hip zone. Another potential path is to make the zoned layer 3" and increase the ILD of the core. Not sure yet. Fortunately, my current configuration is good enough that I can take my time to think the next move.

I am really impressed at the way people help each other in these forums. Some members have a lot knowledge and experience, and devote a lot of time to helping others. Sandman gave me very valuable advice. As did the host of the other forum. I want to thank them. They have made a difference in the quality of my sleep.

Congratulations Toto! Mattdud.